Hailstorm lashes Shimla, surrounding areas

A hailstorm, accompanied by sharp showers, lashed Shimla and its surrounding areas this evening, while five cows and three bullocks were killed in lightning strikes in the Rampur area of the district.
The cattle from Kuhal village were grazing when the hailstorm occurred. Eight heads of cattle perished in the following lightning strikes.
The hailstorm hit normal life in Shimla, forcing the residents and tourists to stay indoors.
Farmers and fruit growers were a worried lot as hailstorms and thunderstorms are considered to be harmful for fruits and the standing wheat crop in the mid and higher hills.
The MeT office has warned of a thunderstorm, accompanied by a hailstorm, at isolated places in the mid and lower hills over the next 48 hours.

It has forecast rains or snow in the higher hills till June 1.

Meanwhile, Una was the hottest place in the region with a maximum temperature of 39.2 degrees Celsius, while the day temperature rose to 35.5 degrees C at Nahan, 33.7 degrees C at Sundernagar, 33.6 degrees C at Bhuntar, 32.4 degrees C at Dharamsala, 31.4 degrees C at Solan, 25 degrees C at Manali, 24.7 degrees C at Shimla and 23.8 degrees C at Kalpa.
Sarahan and Manali received 5 mm and 2 mm of rains respectively, but there was no significant change in the minimum temperatures.
Manali in Kullu district was the coldest place in the state with a minimum temperature of 8 degrees Celsius, while Keylong in the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti and Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded minimum temperatures of 9.3 degrees C and 9.4 degrees C respectively, followed by Shimla (15.2 deg C), Bhuntar (16.2 deg C), Palampur (18 deg C), Solan (18.5 deg C), Sundernagar (19.1 deg C), Dharamsala (19.4 deg C), Nahan (20.1 deg C) and Una (27 deg C).